Why Trump wants to buy Greenland, and why he is not alone in this

Why is the huge Arctic island important for the US? When did the US last buy territories, and what efforts has it made in the past to acquire Greenland? We explain in three points.

1. 01

   Why does Greenland matter to the US?

   Broadly, there are three reasons, related to geostrategy and geography.

   Greenland was once a Danish colony and is now an autonomous province of Denmark. It is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and North America, across the Baffin Bay from Canada. Its strategic importance rose during the Cold War, and the US has a large air base there, the Pituffik Space Base, earlier the Thule Air Base. From Greenland, the US can monitor and prevent any missile coming towards it from Russia, China, or even North Korea. Similarly, it can launch missiles and ships towards Asia or Europe more easily from Greenland.

   Second, Greenland is rich in rare earth minerals, which are used in mobile phones, electric vehicles and other consumer electronics, but also in bombs and other weapons. At present, China is a major supplier of these minerals. In 2021, Greenland passed a law banning uranium mining.

   Third, as global warming leads to melting of ice, new waterways can open in the Arctic region, and all major powers are keen to boost their presence here. The US would want to pre-empt a larger Russian or Chinese role in Greenland and its neighbourhood.

2. 02

   When did the US last try to acquire Greenland?

   Trump in his last term had proposed buying Greenland, terming his proposal a “large real estate deal”. When the Danish PM, Mette Frederiksen, called the idea absurd, Trump cancelled a scheduled visit to Denmark.

   Before that, in 1946, just after the end of World War II, President Harry S Truman offered $100 million to Denmark for Greenland. Truman had earlier considered exchanging some portions of Alaska for certain parts of Greenland. The proposal did not progress.

   In 1867, the US State Department pointed to the fact that Greenland’s strategic location and abundant natural resources make it ideal for acquisition. However, no formal effort was made to move on the suggestion.

3. 03

   And when has US bought territories before this?

   One famous example is the purchase of Alaska, which the Russian empire transferred to the US in 1867 when Andrew Johnson was President, for $7.2 million. The purchase added about 1.5 million sq km of land to the US. In 1959, the modern state of Alaska was created.

   Earlier, in 1803, the US bought more than 2 million sq km of land from France in what is known as the Louisiana Purchase. The acquisition of Louisiana happened when Thomas Jefferson was President, and the US paid $ 15 million for the deal.

   In 1917, the US bought the Danish West Indies, a group of islands in the Caribbean, and called them the US Virgin Islands.